


Publishing

by justanotherbusyfangirl



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Author Reader, Editor Jared, Editor Jensen, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 17:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16858483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherbusyfangirl/pseuds/justanotherbusyfangirl
Summary: You finally are ready to send your book to publishers in the area.  Will you get any interest from any of them to publish?





	1. Family Business Publishing Company

Your fingers were practically twitching with excitement as they held the red pen, the pen that was marking up less and less of your book each time you read through it.

This was it.  You were actually happy with your story, happy with the writing, ready to put it out there in the world.  You were ready to put the final edits onto the document and print it for a final time (at least final, for now).  You were ready to mail it to the editing and publishing agencies you had listed out in your notebook.

When you left your home office and collapsed on the couch, your roommate Becca turned to you.

“Holy shit, it’s done!?” she practically screamed, able to read the look on your face as clearly as the words of your book.

You bit your lip and looked at her.  You nodded.  “It’s printing now.”

Becca bounced on her knees before launching herself at you, mauling you with her hug.  “I’m so excited!” she squealed, and that’s when you finally broke.  Tears of relief and excitement escaped your eyes as you hugged her back, eager for the next phase of your writing career.

On to the publishing companies.

Becca helped you the next day as you packaged the copies of your novel, carefully stamping and addressing them to each of the companies you’d chosen.  You were going for medium and small agencies, wanting to get your foot in the door with one of them.  Most were ones that specialized in young adult and romance novels, so you hoped they would be interested in your book.

Becca walked with you to the post office and took a couple pictures of you handing the packages over to the clerk (much to your embarrassment), for posterity’s sake, she said.  “Someday you’ll be famous and I’ll get paid the big bucks for these pictures!”

The two of you walked back home, by way of the ice cream parlor down the street, gearing up for the waiting game.

A week went by.  Then two.  You put your novel aside, wanting to hear back from editors before riling yourself up with re-editing it again.  You worked at the neighborhood bookstore part time, as you’d been doing for the past three years.  Your manager eventually stopped asking if you’d heard back from anyone, seeing how disappointed you were with each passing day and nothing to report.

Three and a half weeks after you’d taken the books to the mail, your cell phone buzzed in your pocket while you were saying goodbye to a regular customer.  You pulled your phone out, not recognizing the number that was calling you.

You nearly put it back in your pocket, ready to ignore the call, when something came over you.  You slid the arrow to the right to answer the call, a small “Hello?” coming from your mouth as you raised your phone to your ear.

“May I speak to [Your First Initial] Y/L/N?” a man’s voice questioned over the phone.  Your eyes widened.  You hadn’t put your first name on the novel, wanting no sexist publishers to dismiss your book just because you were a woman.

“This is Y/N Y/L/N,” you replied, breath catching as you waited.  

The man on the other end of the line cleared his throat.  “Y/N?  Are you the one who sent  _Demon’s Game_  to the Family Business Publishing Company a few weeks ago?”

Your heart was pounding in your chest.  “Yes, that’s me.”

The man let out a short chuckle, one you were unsure of how to respond to.  “I wasn’t expecting you to be a woman, to be quite honest.  You really got the brother relationship dynamic down pat, for not being a brother yourself.”

You didn’t say anything, unsure of how to respond to the man’s comment.  He coughed, more of a silence filler than clearing his throat this time.  “I apologize.  My name is Jensen Ackles, and I’d like to have a meeting with you about publishing your book.”

For all the thousands of words you had written in your lifetime, none came to mind in that moment.  You were so excited to hear this Ackles fellow talk about publishing your book that you nearly fainted.

“Y/N?” he finally said, probably wondering if you were still on the phone.

“Yes!  Sorry.  Yes, I’d like to meet with you,” you said quickly, writing down a time and place on the back of receipt paper from the register.  Luckily, the FBPC’s offices were only in the next city over, so you and Ackles were able to find a time that worked for both of you in just a couple of days.

“I suppose I’ll see you then, Y/N.  Take care,” Ackles finally said, and you hung up.  You looked up to see your manager standing in front of you, question in his eyes.

“I’ve got a meeting with an editor!” you squealed at him, earning a shout of joy from him.  You couldn’t wait to get home and tell Becca.

You and Becca celebrated that evening before spending three hours choosing the perfect outfit to meet Jensen Ackles in for lunch.  The place you’d agreed to meet was a nice, but not too nice, lunch place in the business district, so you pieced together an outfit that would show a professional but normal version of yourself.

The next two days flew by and before you knew it you were standing outside the restaurant, a fresh copy of your book tucked into the large purse on your right shoulder.  You squeezed the strap for luck before opening the door, giving your name to the hostess and following her through the restaurant.  

There were huge windows all along the street side of the restaurant, giving the place an open and welcoming air.  You looked around at the patrons, wondering which of these men was Jensen Ackles.  The hostess finally motioned to a chair and you caught sight of the back of Ackles’s head, his short, dirty-blonde hair slicked to one side nicely and his shoulders broad.

He stood, turning as he realized you were approaching.  His hand froze as he extended it, his eyes widening as he took you in.  “Ms. Y/L/N?” he asked, his voice even deeper in person than it had been over the phone.

You could only nod, all words once again lost to you.  But this time it wasn’t excitement or shock keeping the words from your mind, it was the overwhelmingly handsome man whose eyes were locked on you.

How in the world were you supposed to do business with a man this gorgeous?


	2. San Jac Publishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After your meeting with Jensen, you get another call from yet another editor about your book.

Your meeting with Jensen Ackles went well, once you were over the shock of his handsome face.  He ended up being much more than a handsome face, obviously knowing everything about the publishing business and giving you quite a bit of information about what needed to happen before your book would be potentially published. 

Jensen, as he insisted you call him, listed out the steps that your book would be put through, explaining that he would edit it, send any notes to you for you to review, before letting another editor look over it as well.  He mentioned a few plot points that he wanted to change, expand, or get rid of.  You could only smile and nod, sure that he knew what he was doing and trusting that he would help you bring your book to its fullest potential.

Then he’d given you a timeline, some numbers, and his best guess at your earnings.

You left the restaurant in a daze, under the advisement to get back to him within the week on whether you would be accepting his offer to be his client.

Jensen’s face and voice were in your thoughts the entire drive home before you relived the meeting with Becca, trying your best to not leave anything out.  As you spoke to her, your stomach clenched a bit with the changes that Jensen had mentioned, but for all you and Becca knew, that’s how the publishing world would be.

When the two of you were in the kitchen, still talking things over as you cooked, your phone rang with another unknown number.

“Hello?” you answered, shrugging at Becca’s face that questioned who it was that was calling you.

“Is this [Your First Initial] Y/L/N?” a man asked, similarly to how Jensen has asked earlier in the week.

“This is Y/N, yes,” you said, realizing that this had to be another publisher.

“Jared Padalecki, San Jac Publishing,” the man said, a smile in his voice.  “I just finished reading through your novel you sent in a few weeks ago and would love to meet with you tomorrow to discuss your options.”

Your eyes widened at Becca, pointing at the phone excitedly.  She ran over, putting her head right next to yours so she could hear the call.  “I can do that, where would you like to meet?”

“Well, I see that you live uptown, would you like to meet in the bookstore on 12th Street?” he asked.  The bookstore on 12th Street was the one you worked at, part-time.

“That would be fine with me, say ten?” you asked, watching as Becca pulled away, jumping up and down.

“Sounds great.  See you tomorrow, Y/N,” Padalecki answered before hanging up the phone.

“Girl,” Becca said, a huge smile on her face.  “Two meetings in two days?!”

You leaned back against the counter.  “What am I supposed to do?” you asked her, feeling like you’d just arranged to cheat on your boyfriend.  You shook your head, trying to put that thought out of your head.  Publishing companies were not boyfriends, they were business deals.  

“You’ve gotta hear the pitch, Y/N.  Jensen may be gorgeous, and he may be offering you a lot of money for your story, but this Jared guy might have a better deal,” Becca pointed out to you.  “Jensen gave you a week – you have time to decide!”

You nodded, knowing she was right.  “Okay, let’s get dinner done so we can get me an outfit together for tomorrow!”

You called your manager over dinner, letting him know about the meeting you’d set up in your bookstore.  He promised that he would have the front corner of the store by the window blocked off for the two of you, excited that you had yet another call from a publisher.

You could barely sleep a wink that night.

As you walked to the bookstore the next morning, your purse felt heavy on your arm.  What if meeting with another publisher ruined your chances with the FBPC?  What if they found out and decided to drop you immediately?  What if…?

Your thoughts were interrupted as you walked into the shop, taking a deep breath.  The smell of the books always calmed you, whether you were there to work or read or write.  This was your happy place, and you could forget about Jensen and the FBPC for just an hour, enough time to hear Jared Padalecki’s pitch.

“Ms. Y/L/N?” you heard someone say, and you turned to the front corner your manager had blocked off for you.  An incredibly tall, incredibly handsome man stood there, the sleeves of his button-up shirt rolled up to his elbows.  He had a kind smile on his face and his hair framed his cheeks perfectly.

“Yes, that’s me,” you said, stepping toward him.  You shook his hand, feeling as though his engulfed yours.  It was comforting.

“I’m Jared,” he said, stepping back toward the chairs.  “Shall we sit?”

You nodded, sitting alongside him.  Jared pulled a copy of your novel onto his lap, smiling up at you.  “This book is incredible, Y/N – may I call you Y/N?”

You nodded, unable to tell Jared no.  He was so calming, so different than Jensen’s formal state yesterday at the restaurant.  Jared immediately made you feel like you could sit and talk with him for hours about books and life, which put you at ease just as much as the familiar bookstore around you.

“Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it,” you replied, looking down at the pages in his lap.  

“I want to represent you.  I want this book published, I think this could be an incredible seller, a potential series.  You have a lot of talent, Y/N.”

You blushed, unable to meet Jared’s eyes as he complimented your book.  “Wow,” was all you said.  

“That’s what went through my head when I finished your book, Y/N,” Jared replied before pulling some papers out of the bag by his feet.  “Here’s what I’m thinking.  I’d take your book to my boss, and the only thing he’ll say is to get cover art done.  Do you have thoughts on that?  Do you want art work, or a clean cover?  I figure you want your initial instead of your first name, but I think you’ll sell either way.  It’s a story that will definitely sell itself.   _Demon’s Game_  by Y/N Y/L/N sounds catchy.  Art could take up to a month, but I’ve got a great friend who will read this in just a night and can come up with a few ideas just as quickly.

“Then we can get it to press, say a 50 thousand print on the first round, do some promo in this region, before doing a second print and a larger area.  Of course, we’ll hit the online retailers as well…”

Jared was talking a million miles a minute, but your brain finally caught up and you stopped him with a simple raise of your hand.  “What’s your question?” he asked, smiling sweetly at you.

“You don’t have any changes you want to make?” you asked him, remembering the changes that Jensen had listed.

Jared looked at you like you were crazy.  “Of course not.  This story is awesome.  It has everything you want – brothers fighting together, evil demons, supernatural, family drama.  The characters are relatable, and the plot catches you from page one.  I can’t think of a single thing I’d want you to change, that’s why I’m here.”

“Wow,” you said again, Jared’s compliments overwhelming you.  “I figured there would be more editing…”

Jared leaned back in his chair, eyeing you carefully.  “Have other publishers suggested you change things in your novel, Y/N?”

You looked down at your hands, embarrassed.  “Well, yes.  There were changes, edits, mentioned…”

Jared sighed, making the words catch in your throat.  “I’m sorry, Y/N.  I forget sometimes that I’m in a competitive business.  I got so excited about your story that I forgot that other companies might be wooing you as well.”

Jared picked up his bag, putting your novel inside and pulling out a few papers.  He handed them to you, a timeline and pricing drawn up in black and white.  

“Look it over, make your decision.  I know this business is confusing when you’re first getting into it, so I’m not going to pressure you.”  You saw the sincerity in his eyes as he watched you.  “But…” he continued, “I really would like to represent you and your story.  I haven’t felt like this about someone in a long time.”

You could have sworn there was a tinge of pink on Jared’s cheeks as he stood.  You followed his lead, clutching the paperwork in your hand.  “It was nice to meet you, Y/N.  I really hope I hear from you soon.”

Jared’s hand once again found yours to shake, holding on for a moment longer than was necessary.  You couldn’t get any words out before he turned away, though, the bell jingling above his head as he left.

How in the world were you supposed to decide between the two handsome publishers who were interested in your writing?


End file.
